That Girl
by mooopower
Summary: He had never noticed her in class before, it was kind of hard to not to notice her now though, with all those bruises. Neko Fic.
1. The Run In

All right this is my first Bleach story so be nice. I recently fell in love with Neko Rukia and Ichigo, there aren't enough of those stories on here yet. I do want to point out a couple of stories that have inspired me to write this.

First of all, Concrete Angel by KittiKat626, and To Mend Thy Shattered Heart by .x were fantastic. I highly recommend them. The couple of Neko stories I can't stop reading, Catnipped by Vi0letButterfly was unfortunately taken down by , but I hope she decides to repost it! We're The Same by hunterofcomedy, and Bits and Pieces also by Vi0letbutterfly, which is still in progress.

I can't recommend these enough, go read them and enjoy! Hopefully more Neko rukiaxIchigo stories will be written, I can't seem to get enough! Oh, and be warned my grammar is not great, so there will be mistakes. Hopefully nothing bad enough to keep you from enjoying the story, I am looking for a beta reader. I don't own Bleach blah blah blah.

**That** Girl

Can you imagine being hated just because of who you are? For being something that you can't help being? The human race has overcome so much throughout history. They've gone from being bigots towards their own kind just because of a difference in the color of their skin, to accepting and believing in equal rights for all. Scratch that. Not everyone gets equal rights, and not everybody believes they should.

The discovery of the nekojin race brought a new era of discrimination, but instead of segregation, humanity demanded they be destroyed. And the only physical differences between the nekojin and the humans were that the nekojin had a pair of cat ears atop their heads, and tails on their rears! Apparently that alone was reason enough for the humans to brand them abominations. Words such as "not normal" and "mutations" began circulating, prompting the government to send soldiers to the cities to shoot the "cat people" down like the animals they believed them to be.

For the longest time the nekojin had to avoid any contact with humans for fear of being hunted down. Prices were put on their heads, and the rewards for capturing a nekojin alive were great. Eventually, a group of nekojin supporters opened the eyes of the public. They were reprimanded for the support of the cat people, but their words reached the people, and these words were: "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools." A Dr. King quote

It was like a switch had been flipped, and those who had been afraid to voice their support for the nekojin found their courage and protested the massacres. The cat people were persuaded to come out of hiding, and safe havens were offered until the government agreed to end the discrimination of their kind. They would no longer be hunted, and would be looked at as members of society that deserved the same rights as humans. The damage had been done, but the nekojin were a kind and peaceful race and did not wish to go to war with the human race.

So they lived with the humans. Some held grudges while others did not. And as generations passed, they became as common as humans. No one batted an eye at them anymore, and all was well.

Pain. That's all her mind could register as she woke up. Memories of last night came flooding back and she closed her eyes and sighed. She slowly turned her head towards her bedroom door, ignoring the dull thudding pain that came from the slight action. There was a small smear of blood in the middle of the door, and a shattered sake glass that was the reason for the smear, lay shattered on the floor. The offending bottle had been thrown at her head, and luckily missed its intended target. Her decision to dodge however led her to slam her head into the damn door.

Rukia could feel the dried blood in her hair, and groaned as she forced herself to sit up and walk to the bathroom. She gripped the bathroom's doorframe as a dizzy spell nearly sent her to the hard floor. She remained still until the dizziness passed, then walked to the shower and turned it on. The old rusted pipes sputtered before shooting out the cold water into the tub. She made no attempt to turn the water handle to hot, as the water heater had been broken for almost two weeks now. She took off her night wear and swept an index finger across the sink, violet eyes narrowing at the coat of dust that appeared on said finger. 'I'll have to clean soon.' She observed silently. Her father hated it when the house got too dirty, saying it made him look bad in front of the CPS.

Rukia stepped into the shower, clenching her fists as the freezing water hit her skin. When the water hit the back of her head, the dull ache suddenly felt like someone was stabbing it with an ice pick. She carefully washed her hair, making sure she got all the blood out of it, and tried her best to keep the freezing water out of her delicate neko ears. As soon as she felt the blood was gone she jumped out and turned the shower off. Wrapping a small towel around herself, she walked out of the bathroom and made her way to her room.

Before she could make it through the door, a large hand grabbed her wrist with unwelcome force. Her neko ears slicked back instantly and her eyes narrowed as she turned to glare at the man behind her.

Kaito Shinobu was in his early fifties, with black hair that fell to his shoulders and dull brown eyes. His eyes narrowed and he tightened his grip on her wrist.

"Don't give me that fuckin' look. You need to clean this place. _N__ow_."

Rukia jerked her wrist out of his grasp and took a step back as she discerned the finality with which he emphasized the last word.

"I'm already late for school; I'll clean when I get back."

She replied without hesitation and turning her back on him, started for her room, but Kaito growled and brought his hand to her neck, slamming her into the wall.

"What did I say about giving me attitude?"

He sputtered bitterly; and while his grip on her neck wasn't tight enough to deprive her of any air, she flinched as her head pounded from being slammed into the wall.

"Can't remember, why don't you remind me."

Kaito brought his fist back and slammed it into her stomach at her cheeky response. Rukia gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of her, and she wasn't given any time to recuperate before he punched her again in the ribs. He removed his hand from her throat and watched as she fell to the floor and clutched the towel to her body.

"Remember now?"

Rukia gasped and winced at the sharp pain that tore through her side as she inhaled, and slowly nodded.

"Good."

He ruffled her hair in a show of mock affection, and she nearly hissed in pain.

"Grab some cleaning supplies from the school, we're out."

He commanded and waltzed into the kitchen, leaving Rukia squirming on the floor. As soon as he was out of sight she glared in his direction and swore under her breath.

"Bastard."

She opened her towel to look at her stomach and side, sighing distastefully at the bruises that were already forming. She stood up slowly and finally making it to her bedroom, closed the door behind her. She looked at her pink Chappy alarm clock and cursed, school started in half an hour.

Rukia quickly dried herself off and threw on her school uniform, cursing her tail as it seemed to resist being put through the hole in her undergarments. She then grabbed her backpack and walked out the front door. Usually it would only take her ten minutes to get to school when she ran, but the stinging pain in her side kept her from doing so.

Despite the events of the morning she lifted her head and smiled at the clear blue sky. At least it's nice out. She thought with a glint of hope in her violet irises, exhilarated to be finally out of the house.

"Rukia-san!"

Her ears perked up towards the source of the yell, and she turned around and smiled. Yamada Hanataro, her best friend and classmate, was such a nice kid who unlike her was very shy and submissive. He reminded her of a younger brother, and that caused her to be naturally protective of him. He caught up to her and bent over, breathing hard from the short sprint.

"How are you Rukia-san?" He asked with a polite smile as they started walking again.

"I've been better, but it's not too bad." She returned with a smile which dimmed immediately when she scanned him over and spotted the large bruise on his arm.

"What about you; how have you been?"

He quickly covered it with his sweater sleeves and laughed nervously. Then he said quickly, trying to reassure her. "I got into trouble last night, but I'm alright!"

"If you say so, but you know you can always knock on my window if you need to get away."

At her caring words, Hanataro smiled genuinely and nodded.

"Thank you Rukia-san."

She waved him off and explained further with a firm but reassuring mien. "Don't mention it at all. You're my friend, and friends help each other out."

The walk to school was otherwise uneventful, and even though they chatted about this and that while walking slowly they still managed to make it to campus with five minutes to spare. They walked into the classroom, and headed straight to the back right corner where their usual seats were. Rukia let out a hiss as she sat down, then sighed.

"I am not looking forward to today."

Hanataro lifted up his eyes from scanning his bag, and knowing exactly what Rukia was referring to asked her, "What excuse are you going to use to get out of gym today, Rukia-san?"

"I'll just tell coach I'm on my period; that always seems to work."

At Rukia's rather blunt reply Hanataro blushed and looked away abashedly, making Rukia chuckle and ruffle his hair affectionately. Her tail vibrated in delight at the sight of his blush.

"I want to see your face when you take Sex Ed. Now _that_ will be funny."

Hanataro fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat suddenly found his fingers very interesting. "I don't think I could make it through that class, Rukia-san."

Rukia's face lighted up as she pounced on the opportunity to further torture the poor boy. "You'll be fine. Then when you get a girlfriend things won't be as confusing."

"G-G-Girlfriend?" Hanataro stuttered innocently making Rukia give up and smile while intentionally redirecting her gaze to the chalkboard.

"Yes a girlfriend, and don't you go on telling me you'll never have one. You just need to find the right person."

She opened her notebook and took a quick look at her schedule, changing the subject quickly as if it never came up at all.

"I have Home Ec. today. Hopefully we'll make something good; I didn't grab breakfast."

She sighed and Hanataro supplied.

"It's going to be a long wait until lunch."

~Groooooowl~ Rukia's stomach growled for the fifth time and she cursed silently. Then again, she was in Home Economics, and the fact that she hadn't eaten anything that morning wasn't helping. Today they were making Ichigo daifuku, small cakes with strawberries and a red bean paste filling. It was times like these she cursed her feline abilities. The small plate of the sugary treats was right in front of her face, and her superior sense of smell was making the wait torturous.

She was by no means a cook, but she found that she was pretty good at making desserts. She eyed the twelve small cakes in front of her and glanced at the clock, only five minutes until lunch. Not that it mattered too much because all she had was the daifuku.

'Better than nothing.' She thought with a shrug—

Immediately the lunch bell rang and Rukia sighed in relief. She carefully packed up her lunch and placed it in her backpack, and walked into the hallway with her tail coiled around her waist. Instead of walking to the front of the school or the roof, where most of the students ate their lunches, she made her way to the back of the school. It was here that she and Hanataro met up at lunch every day... Along with the smokers and any group of teens that had snagged their parents liquor bottles from home. The smell of second-hand smoke invaded her senses, and she frowned and quickened her pace to be rid of the disgusting smell.

She found Hanataro under their usual tree, and spotting her approach waved enthusiastically. She winced as she slowly sat down next to him, using the tree for support and kept her eyes closed until the pain went away.

"Rukia-san?"

She opened her eyes at Hanataro's concerned voice and smiled at her friend. "How's your arm, Hana?"

"It's fine, but are you alright?"

He watched as she dug out a small container from her bag.

"Fine," she replied, "We made daifuku today."

Hanataro's eyes lit up at the treat. "They look great, Rukia-san."

She smiled and her tail unwrapped from her waist and rested on the warm grass. "Glad. We're sharing."

Every day Rukia and Hanataro would combine their lunches, trying to make a small feast for themselves. Hanataro brought out his bento box.

"Let's see… we have rice, teriyaki beef, some onigiri and cooked vegetables."

He handed Rukia a pair of chopsticks and smiled as she took a piece of beef into her mouth.

"Oh my god, Hanataro your mom makes the best beef!"

She moaned in delight as the delicious taste spread in her mouth. Hanataro smiled at that and started to pick at the rice. The end of lunch came too soon, but both teens sighed contently with full stomachs. Later as they went back into the hallway Rukia waved as they started down different directions in the hallway.

"See you later, Hana."

The rest of the school day passed by quickly, and Rukia found herself dreading the walk home as she looked outside the window and noticed rain clouds steadily approach the town. She looked at the huge clock in front of the classroom, and fingered the paperclip in her shirt pocket in anticipation. School was over in ten minutes. She'd have to wait for everyone to clear the hallways before breaking into the janitor's closet, but she'd make quick work of it. When the bell finally rang, everyone packed up so quickly you'd think a tornado was about to hit.

It took close to half an hour for all of the students to leave the hallways. A majority of the girls ended up chatting next to their lockers, making Rukia tap her foot in impatience at their inadvertent hindrance to her raiding plans. Eventually most of the students left the school, leaving the hallway and the janitor's closet clear. She dropped her bag on the floor and brought out the paperclip from her shirt. She had broken into the janitor's closet with it a couple of times before, so it only took about a minute until she heard the tell tale click. She looked up and down the hallway to make sure no one was there before opening the door. Luckily Rukia didn't need much, so she was able to quickly stuff three bottles of cleaning supplies into her backpack and gracefully slip back into the hallway.

"Time to go back to the hell hole." She muttered to herself and headed for the exit of the school. As she walked to the front door of the school she looked outside and groaned. It had begun to pour outside, and she didn't have an umbrella nor could she run thanks to her ribs which were still hurting. She sighed in surrender.

'No use delaying the inevitable.' When she stepped outside the rain instantly soaked her to the bone, making her shiver. Her ears frantically twitched, desperately trying to keep the water out, and she had wrapped her tail around her thigh to try and spare it from the downpour. Five minutes later the rain was coming down so hard Rukia could barely see five feet in front of her. This caused a couple of unfortunate things to occur. Thanks to the rain blinding her, she bumped hard into someone. The fall to the concrete caused her to hit her head and further aggravate her bruised ribs, making her curl up and gasp from the pain.

"Watch where you're going!"

The voice never reached her ears however as all she could hear was her own heartbeat pounding as she waited for the jarring pain to go dissipate. The figure knelt down next to her.

"Hey!"

She slowly opened her eyes and bright orange filled her vision, making her squeeze her eyes shut.

"Holy crap, your hair is hurting my eyes!"

"Yeah, don't thank me or anything, I was just trying to help."

The owner of the orange hair retorted sarcastically, and Rukia opened her eyes to glare at the person next to her. From her position on the ground and thanks to the rain, all she could see was his spiky orange hair and his amber eyes. She ignored his bizarre features and lunged at him with her words.

"You knocked me down, fool!"

"I did not! You walked right into me!" He hissed back at her and she uncurled her body and attempted to sit up, but the overpowering pain made her lay back down.

"Oiy, are you alright?"

He touched a hand to her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and growled.

"I'm just dandy."

"Yeah, that's why you're lying on the ground in the rain." He spewed sarcasm again, but the temporal joy of the pain finally dissipating made Rukia ignore him and after slowly sitting up, she then stood to her feet.

She looked at the orange-haired kid and glared when she noticed he was still standing there staring at her. "Why are you still here?"

He growled in response."It's called gratitude, you stupid midget."

She sneered at him and he simply smirked, walked up to her, and put his hand on top of her head without any reservation.

"You're so short I'm surprised you haven't been hit by a car yet."

Rukia brought her elbow back and slammed it hard into his side. His hand recoiled as he let out an audible 'oof'.

"What the hell was that for?"

He glared at her and she glared right back, her ears flattening against her head and her tail twitching with annoyance. It was then, when she was standing straight in front of him, that he took notice of her neko features. Before, her ears had been flat against her head, and it had been raining so hard that he couldn't see them camouflaged with her hair. Now that the heavens had calmed a bit he also noticed her tail, which had been wrapped around her upper thigh, out behind her and soaking up the rain like a sponge. She noticed his gaze was on her tail and ears, and sighed.

"What the hell are you staring at, carrot-top?"

He blinked for a second then scowled. "Not you, that's for sure."

He let his umbrella drop to the ground in front of her and turning around, plodded away. "Watch out for cars, midget neko!"

She watched him walk away. And if looks could kill that orange-haired brat would be lying dead on the street. She eyed the umbrella with anger, and looked up once more to see if that kid was still around. When she was certain he was gone, she carefully kneeled down to pick up her backpack and the umbrella. The pain in her side was less sharp, and now she had shelter from the rain. She wouldn't thank him for the umbrella, and if she happened to see him again and he asked for it back, she would immediately deny she had it and walk away.

She continued the trek home at a slower pace, not looking forward to reaching her "unheated" house that would undoubtedly be freezing inside. By the time she was close to home the rain had lightened up to a drizzle, but the dark cloudy sky remained. Her tail dragged behind her, heavy and full of water. She stopped at the front door and wrung out her soaking appendage, not wanting to track a river of water inside. She shook the umbrella free of water, and dropped it next to an empty pot plant, then opened the front door. The freezing air hit her and she shivered.

"Shit." She cursed aloud and quickly walked to her room, dropping her backpack in the corner. She shut her bedroom door and immediately peeled off her soaking clothes. After drying off her body with a towel, she carefully dried her tail and hair and ears. She immediately threw on her underwear, thick black sweatpants, and her pink chappy the rabbit themed shirt, thick chappy socks, and her pink chappy hoodie. Even with all the warm clothing, the cold tore through her and made her head throb nastily.

'I hope we still have tea'. She thought and made her way to the kitchen, quietly walking across the wood floor as she saw the slumped snoring figure in the living room in a chair in front of the TV. She grabbed a small pot out of the cupboard, and filled it with water. She turned on the gas stove, and set the pot on top of it. Then she returned to the cupboard, and sighed in relief when she found one remaining bag of jasmine tea. She waited for the water to boil, her ears twitching anxiously. When it finally did boil, she grabbed a large mug, placed the tea bag inside of it, and poured the hot water. She let it sit for a couple of minutes before adding the last dredges of the honey in the bottle to the cup of tea.

Lifting the mug to her nose, Rukia inhaled and sighed at the sweet smell and warmth it created inside her. She walked back to her room and shut the door. Wrapping herself in her thick quilt, she slowly drank the tea and smiled when she felt her body warm up in trouncing victory over the cold. Her ears picked up the noise as the rain began falling heavily again, and she thanked god that she wasn't out there anymore. When the tea was gone, she placed the mug on her nightstand and lay down on her bed. With the combination of the noise of the rain, and the warmth of her quilt, she easily fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

So hopefully that was interesting, a lot of things will be explained later, like how Rukia and Hanataro met.

In every story involving Rukia being abused, she was understandably traumatized or timid. I just wanted to try and write a story where she would be strong and fight back for herself ya know? Please review it will help me know whether people like it or not. Although I will continue it whether people like it or not ^_^ I'm going to start writing the next chapter right now, and I will probably wait for a week or so to post it. Hopefully I can write a couple of chapters and have frequent updates, but don't count on it. And if anyone didn't know, cps stands for child protective services. As I've said, it will all eventually be explained.


	2. What Just Happened?

Thank you all for being so patient, I'm having some financial and health issues that need to be taken care of. I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed, and I'd especially like to thank hunterofcomedy for the supportive pm's. Last but certainly not least I'd like to thank my awesome beta, KaizokuGotenks.

That Girl

Waking up to a screaming alarm clock is never pleasant, but waking up to a screaming alarm clock with a crippling migraine when you have sensitive neko hearing is pure torture. Rukia groaned and blindly groped the nightstand, trying to silence the source of her discomfort. When her hand found the device, she slammed on a random button, not caring which as long as the screeching stopped. She sighed in relief, and poked her head out from under the quilt.

The green neon lights read six in the morning, giving her an hour and a half to get ready for school. She turned over onto her side to perform her morning stretch, but groaned in frustration at the dull pain that kept her from successfully doing so. Rukia was perfectly content to stay cocooned in her warm quilt, but her stomach protested the lack of food.

~Groooooowl~

"Stop complaining, I'm getting up. It's not like there'll be a lot to eat anyway." She muttered to herself as she slowly sat up, sighing and bringing a hand to her head.

"I feel like I have a hangover," she groaned. Unfortunately, she had nothing within the house to remedy that.

"I suppose a trip to the nurse will be necessary today." She rarely ever had to go to the nurse for her injuries, as they were rarely serious enough to warrant the trip. Rukia had learned early on to stay out of Kaito's way whenever he drank, and she had learned the hard way. When he was sober, however, he was half-way decent.

When the sharp pain of her migraine dulled a bit, she slowly stood and walked to the kitchen. Taking a shower was out of the question, thanks to her aching head. She silently thanked Kaito for having been hung-over the night before, as the shades that would have brought in the blinding were closed. As she walked into the kitchen, she was a little shocked to see Kaito rummaging through the fridge.

"What are you doing up?" Her voice was laced with exhaustion as she spoke.

Kaito sighed and pulled out a small container of white rice. "That damn Tosa Inu next door woke me up." He opened the cupboard above the stove. "Don't we have anything else?" He growled out. Rukia sighed and opened the oven, pulling out two packs of instant miso soup. She put the two packs on the stove and pulled out a small pot. All the while Kaito looked at her strangely.

"What the hell are those doing in the oven?" He questioned her.

She filled the small pot with water and lit the stove. "You put them there two nights ago." She stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He grunted and stuck his head back into the fridge. "You need to go to the store today."

Rukia brought out two medium sized bowls out from the cupboard and placed them on the counter. "I need money." She said while pouring the contents of the packets into each bowl. Kaito sighed and walked into the small living room to retrieve his wallet. Rukia took this time to heat up the meager portion of white rice in another small pot on the stove.

When Kaito walked back into the kitchen he slammed one thousand five hundred sixty two yen onto the counter. Rukia glanced at the money and sighed. "That won't buy us very much."

Kaito ran a hand through his hair. "Well it's all we got for now, unless you go and put those quick hands of yours to use."

Rukia stiffened at his words, her ears went back and her tail angrily swished back and forth behind her. She poured the now boiling water over the dried miso soup contents in their bowls. She then took the pot with the white rice off the heat and set it aside. "I can figure out how to stretch this out for a couple of days," Rukia assured.

Kaito picked up his bowl of miso soup and walked to the old recliner in the living room. "See to it that you do, because if not, I could always ask Gin to give you a job," Kaito threatened and Rukia visibly paled. Just hearing that man's name gave her the feeling that snakes were slithering across her body.

She gulped.

"There will be no need for that," she whispered.

"Good," Kaito said from his recliner.

Rukia picked up her bowl of soup and gulped it down in two long sips. She placed the bowl in the sink then walked to her room. The house had resumed a warmer temperature, so she had no problem trading her comfortable nightwear for a dry school uniform. She walked into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. Her eyes found the small area on the counter she had swept her finger on for dust and then she sighed.

Rukia spit out the toothpaste and washed her mouth out, then walked back into her room and opened her backpack. She took out the three bottles of cleaning supplies and set them on the bathroom counter so she'd remember to clean later. She returned to her room for her backpack, stuffing the money into it, and left the house. She closed the door and inhaled the fresh air, savoring the earthy smell that always came after rain. She smiled, and started walking towards school.

The school was fairly empty, with only a couple of teachers' cars in the parking lot, giving Rukia some much-needed privacy. She walked through the double doors and into the hallways towards her locker. She worked the dial on the lock, her ears twitching when they heard the click. She stuffed her empty backpack into the locker and went into the girl's restroom.

Rukia checked the stalls just be sure no one was inside. She walked up to a full body mirror next to the sinks and turned so her back was facing the mirror. She carefully parted her hair on the back of her head, and tried to turn her head only slightly to see if she could see any blood or an open wound. Her fingers came into contact with two medium sized scabs.

"Rukia?"

She froze and then slowly turned around when she heard someone call her name. She had been so busy examining her head that even her sensitive neko ears didn't register the approaching footsteps. There at the door to the girl's restroom was Miyako Shiba, the school nurse. She was a beautiful woman, and very motherly to all the students. Her husband, Kaien Shiba, was a cop at the Karakura police station.

Rukia bowed politely, but cringed as her head throbbed in pain. "Good morning Miyako-sensei."

The older woman noticed her cringe and a concerned frown took over her face. "Good morning Rukia, are you alright?" She stepped forward and examined the back of Rukia's head, as she had seen the young student examining it in the mirror.

"Yes I'm fine, I lost my footing while I was climbing a tree and hit my head," Rukia replied; her voice remained even as she told the lie.

Miyako carefully ran her hand over the spot on Rukia's head again. "Yes you certainly did, are you sure you're feeling alright? You could have a concussion."

Rukia smiled as the nurse voiced her concern. It was always nice to have people care for her wellbeing. "I think I just need some aspirin, and thank you for your concern Miyako-sensei."

Miyako stepped back and smiled at Rukia. "Alright then, let's go to my office." Rukia nodded, and they both walked down the hall to the nurse's office.

* * *

Rukia sighed and sat in one of the chairs near the examination table; she closed her eyes and willed the slight throbbing in her side to go away.

"How have you been Rukia? It's been a while since we've had our last chat." The nurse asked the young student as she rummaged through the medical supplies.

"Except for this headache I've been alright, and how about you Miyako-sensei?" Rukia replied and opened her eyes when she felt two pills being put in her hand along with a glass of water. She graciously took the glass of water and quickly swallowed the pills, downing them with a gulp of the water.

Miyako smiled sadly as she considered Rukia's question. "I've been stressed lately. Kaien will be going on a drug raid tonight." She sighed and sat in the chair next to Rukia. "It won't be long before I start getting gray hair."

"Kaien will be fine, he's one of the best officers on the force," Rukia assured, trying to cheer up the nervous woman.

Miyako smiled again and patted Rukia's leg. "He's a talented man, and I trust him to come home safe every night. It's the people he's after I never trust."

Rukia nodded and stood up. "That's understandable. Thank you for the aspirin, Miyako-sensei."

The older woman smiled at the expression of gratitude and walked to her desk. "No problem Rukia, if your head still hurts after four hours you should come back and have two more."

Rukia nodded and waved as she walked out the door. She walked down the hall and towards her locker to retrieve her backpack, as well as any books she would need for the first half of the school day. She walked into a classroom, taking her usual seat in the back right corner of the class. She set her backpack down, and took out the homework she didn't do yesterday. Just as she was about to get started the teacher walked into the classroom.

"What are you doing here so early, Rukia?"

Rukia looked up from her homework. "Good morning Ochi-sensei, I woke up early and thought I would finish my homework here."

Misato Ochi, Rukia's homeroom teacher, was a bespectacled young woman with brown hair. She was generally an easy going person, but was strict when she had to be.

"Alright, if you need any help let me know." The teacher told Rukia before walking out of the classroom.

Rukia nodded and started on her homework. Around seven fifteen, students started to slowly pile in. At seven thirty, Hanataro walked in. Rukia looked up, smiled and waved at him, and continued with her homework.

'Almost done,' she thought with a smile. Her tail swished happily behind her as she finished the last question and put down her pencil. She got out of her seat and handed the paper to Ochi-sensei. As she turned around to return to her seat, a familiar head of orange hair came into view. His amber eyes widened when they noticed her.

"You!" He yelled with a finger pointed at her.

Rukia scowled and her tail swished back and forth angrily. "Yeah, what about me carrot top?"

The orange-haired guy scowled back and glared at her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "I go to school here, idiot; I thought that was pretty obvious." She retorted gesturing to her school uniform.

"Or were you too blind to notice that I was wearing it yesterday?"

Ichigo smirked before resting his arm on her head and leaned against her. "I must've missed it when I was too distracted by your shortness, midget." He said smugly. Rukia growled and turned around and kicked him in the shin, hard.

"What the hell!" He yelled while nursing his bruised leg.

"I'm not short, you're just freakishly tall!" Rukia quipped back at him. She walked back to her desk in the corner, growling at any student that stared at her.

"Hanataro."

"Y-yes Rukia-san?" He stuttered out.

"What's his name?" She gestured with her head to the orange-haired kid.

Hanataro looked to where she gestured and blinked. "That's Kurosaki Ichigo."

She blinked for a few seconds, taking in the new information. "Ichigo?" She repeated his name. Then she grinned, her fangs glistening in the sunlight.

Hanataro gulped. "Are you okay Rukia-san?"

She smiled at her timid friend. "Fine Hanataro, just fine." She noticed Ichigo glaring at her and smiled mockingly at him. He scowled and turned away from her to continue talking to his group of friends. She smirked and grabbed a textbook out from her backpack and mentally laughed.

"This is going to be very fun."

* * *

Before third period, Rukia was so tired that she decided to take a catnap (pun intended). Hanataro was not in the same class, and no one ever bothered to talk to her. That was something she was always grateful for; so she didn't think she had to worry about any interruptions. Boy was she wrong.

"Oiy, midget."

She sighed, but kept her face on the desk and closed her eyes.

"What do you want dandelion?" She groaned. She could sense the irritation rolling off of him because of her reply and internally shouted in victory. She expected him to growl and respond calling her midget or something else…anything else.

But what she didn't expect was for him to grab her right neko ear between his thumb and fore- finger. Her eyes snapped open, and then her mind went blank. When she opened her eyes again, her teeth were firmly planted in Ichigo's hand. Her eyes met his, and hers widened at the shocked look he was giving her.

'Shit!' was her only thought. She immediately released Ichigo's hand and ran out of the classroom; she never noticed the concerned expression on Ichigo's face as he watched her leave.

* * *

As she raced through the hallway her mind could only think of one word, "why?" Her eyes narrowed and she ran out the double doors that led to the back of the school.

'I thought I was over it; that I was stronger than that.' She never stopped running, even as she approached her favorite tree. She jumped and reached out for a strong branch, then used her strong legs to climb the tall tree. The branches and thick bunches of leaves shielded her from view, so she knew she could safely lounge here without anyone disturbing her. She found a thick and wide branch, and sat on it, ignoring the dull pain in her side.

Her heart was still racing with anxiety, and she mentally berated herself for showing such a moment of weakness. 'I worked so hard to make myself invisible, then that idiot comes along and ruins it.'

She couldn't believe how she had let herself respond to his insults, it was so unlike her. The only student she ever talked with was Hanataro, and that was because he was so quiet and shy by nature. Ichigo, on the other hand, was loud and confrontational; she should have known better than to interact with him. Her thoughts went back to the bite and she scowled.

'Who the hell grabs someone's ear like that anyway?!' She thought angrily. She brought her hand up to her right ear and parted the hair at the base of the ear. She felt the wedge shaped tear and frowned. Her ears went back as her mind went back to the incident that caused the tear, but she quickly disregarded those thoughts.

"No use dwelling on the past." She whispered and closed her eyes, still trying to ease her quickly beating heart.

* * *

Ichigo stared at the door Rukia had run out of then he looked down at his bleeding hand. The pain finally registered in his mind and he sighed, "Dammit."

"Whoa! Ichigo are you okay?"

Ichigo turned to see Keigo and Mizuiro at the door. Keigo looked at his hand in amazement, while Mizuiro was busy texting on his phone. Keigo ran over to him and grabbed his hand to examine it.

"Dude, looks like you got bit by something." Keigo said while poking Ichigo's wound.

Ichigo's eye twitched and he punched Keigo to the floor. "Don't poke it, you idiot." He yelled. Keigo cried out on the floor and Mizuiro walked up to him.

"So what happened?" The black-haired student asked.

Ichigo just scowled. "Nothing," he replied tersely.

"That crazy Neko-chick bit him!" One of the other students yelled out. Ichigo growled at the kid, causing him to shrink in his seat.

Mizuiro blinked. "Neko chick? You mean Shinobu Rukia?"

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"Black hair and violet eyes right?" Mizuiro asked and Ichigo nodded.

"What did you do to make her bite you?" Mizuiro questioned.

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. "I touched one of her ears, it's not like I yanked on it or anything; I was just trying to get her attention."

"There are better ways to get a girl's attention, Ichigo," Mizuiro stated.

"It's not like that! She's been a bitch and I wanted to ask what her deal was!"

Keigo popped up from the ground and gave Ichigo a thumbs-up.

"Our Ichigo has taken the first step to asking a girl out!"

"I said it's not like that dammit!" He screamed back at Keigo.

Mizuiro put his cell phone in his school bag and pointed at the classroom floor. "In any case, you should go to the nurse Ichigo, you're bleeding onto the floor."

Ichigo growled and grabbed his school bag. "Yeah, I'm going." While he walked down the hall Ichigo's thoughts kept going back to Rukia's face when she bit him. He expected her to be mad, but when she had opened her eyes, he had seen fear in them.

When he got to the nurse's and Miyako saw his wound, she asked what happened to him, and he lied saying that a stray cat bit him. It was really only half a lie, though. After his hand was bandaged, he walked back into class, but he didn't pay attention to the lesson. His mind was too preoccupied with the events that had just happened.

* * *

The lunch bell rang, waking Rukia from her nap. She stretched her arms above her head and cursed at the persistent pain in her side.

"Guess that's what I get for climbing a tree." She sighed and carefully made her way down the tall tree. When she hit the ground she slowly sat down, waiting for Hanataro. She waved when she spotted him, and moved over so he could lean against the tree trunk.

He sat down next to her and took his bento box out his backpack. He handed her a pair of chopsticks and they dug in.

"How was math class Rukia-san?"

She froze; the fish in her chop sticks inches from her mouth.

Hanataro noticed her expression. "Are you okay Rukia-san?"

She smiled weakly at him. "Yeah, I just remembered that I forgot to change an answer before I gave my paper to the teacher." She resumed eating.

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll do fine."

She nodded at his statement. "By the way, is everything alright at home?" She asked him, desperate to change the subject.

Hanataro smiled back at her. "Yes, mother has been much better this week. How about you Rukia-san?"

She clicked her chopsticks together and frowned. "Aside from yesterday morning, Kaito has been bearable, but until he gets his next welfare check, we'll be very low on food." She took another bite of fish.

"Of course, most of that money will go to gambling." She quickly added.

"I wish I could help out Rukia-san, but most of our money goes to mother's debts." Hanataro said sadly.

Rukia waved him off. "No worries, I'll figure something out; Kaito gave me some money so I have to go to the store and make something that will last about a week."

"Rice is filling, and you can get a big bag for cheap." Hanataro suggested.

"True, but I was thinking more along the line of something like a soup, and salmon is very high in protein but it is too expensive."

Rukia was so deep in thought that she never heard his approach, so by the time she did notice him Ichigo was within twenty yards of her and Hanataro. Rukia's ears went back and she glared at him, but that didn't stop him. He glared right back and quickened his pace.

"He doesn't look very happy." Hanataro said nervously, glancing over at the approaching orange-haired boy.

"When does he ever look happy?" Rukia asked angrily.

Ichigo stopped in front of them. "What the hell was that back in math class?" He yelled.

Rukia put down her chopsticks and stood up. "What did you think would happen, idiot?" Rukia answered with a question of her own.

Ichigo growled out, "Not for you to bite me, that's for damn sure."

"It's your fault, you grabbed my ear!" She yelled at him.

"You didn't have to bite me though! You could have just kicked or yelled at me, what's wrong with you?"

"Me? What's wrong with you? Who grabs people's ears like that when they're trying to sleep?" Her tail swished angrily behind her and her ears had nearly completely flattened against her head.

"Tch, whatever midget." Ichigo turned around and walked towards the school with a scowl on his face.

"Stupid strawberry." Rukia muttered and stomped angrily in the opposite direction.

Hanataro remained sitting against the tree, blinking slowly in confusion.

"What just happened?"

* * *

For those that don't know:

The Tosa Inu is a breed of Japanese dog

1,562 yen is 20 US dollars

Hopefully the next chapter will be posted sooner than this one was, but please bear with me for the time being until I get everything taken care of. My personal life will always come first before writing any stories.


	3. Broken Hope

Alright my lovelies chapter three is here! A big thanks to everyone that reviewed and a HUGE thanks to my more than awesome beta KaizokuGotenks. Enjoy!

**That Girl**

Hanataro looked at Rukia incredulously and then asked, his eyes going wide with surprise, "You bit him?"

Rukia's eyebrows furrowed as her eyes scanned the pages of the history book in front of her. The two of them were seated in the corner of the classroom with their desks pushed together so they could work on their project in private.

"It's not like I meant to or anything. It's just that the moment he grabbed my ear my mind just went…blank." She quipped back irritably. Taking a brief pause, she continued with as much nonchalance as she could muster, "Let's just focus on the report. I want to forget that incident ever happened."

She turned a page of the thick book and her ears perked up as she pointed to a certain paragraph triumphantly. "Here it is, the Edo period." She ripped a piece of paper from her notebook and folded it into a thin strip, making it a makeshift bookmark. She then placed it between the pages of the book and after closing it, put it in her backpack.

Hanataro sighed and looked up at her when he realized she had just terminated their collaborative class project session. "I know we have four months to get this done, but maybe instead of doing it at the last second like we always do we could, you know, spread it out?"

Rukia leaned back against her chair, and closing her eyes retorted laxly, "You worry too much, Hanataro, we always manage to get it done on time, don't we?" She ran a hand through her hair, and her tail twitched behind her as her face contorted in recollection of recent events. "Too much shit's happened in the past couple of days, and I don't think I could concentrate right now, anyway." Her voice dropped low and soft as the words came out.

A loud snore suddenly came from their teacher and the entire class snickered.

"Besides," Rukia continued, her eyes shining with jollity as she gestured over at their teacher, who was out cold, "Shunsui-sensei is cool. You know he doesn't really care as long as we show up and get our homework done."

Hanataro didn't have to look around the classroom to know she was right.

It was a well-known fact amongst the students that the history teacher almost always slept off hangovers during class. And while some students usually used the "free" time to get homework for their other classes done, most took the opportunity to sleep or gossip.

Hanataro sighed and bent over the side of the desk to pick up his algebra homework. "Yeah, I know." He murmured dejectedly.

"Don't sound so upset; we have a chance to actually relax this weekend instead of spending it doing homework!" Rukia exclaimed happily, attempting to cheer up her bashful friend who was always way too fastidious about schoolwork.

Hanataro put his calculator on his desk and looked up from his paper. "What will you do this weekend, Rukia-san?" He asked curiously, conceding, for the moment, to her carefree bent.

Rukia tapped her finger meditatively against her chin. "Hmm, I suppose I'll go to the park. What about you?" She inquired, glancing over momentarily at him.

"I'm not sure, I'll have to see. It'll depend on whether mother needs me to do any chores." He responded as he started briskly on his homework.

The violet-eyed nekojin nodded in understanding and standing up from her chair, grabbed her backpack. "Well, you know where to find me if you want to hang out for a bit. I'm off to see Miyako-sensei; I need more aspirin."

Hanataro looked up from his homework and with a personable smile, waved at her as she exited the classroom. "See you later Rukia-san."

She threw Hanataro a wave from over her shoulder, and walked right past the sleeping history teacher and into the quiet hallway.

Moments later when she arrived at the sick-bay, she stuck her head through the door of the nurse's office and was pleasantly surprised to see Miyako's husband, Kaien Shiba, sitting at her desk.

The school nurse immediately noticed Rukia's presence and a warm smile spread across her face. "Please come in, Rukia." She gestured with her hand for the petite student to enter the office, implying that she was not interrupting anything.

At Miyako's words, Kaien turned around in his chair and grinned from ear to ear as Rukia confidently strolled into the office. "Ah, how have you been, Rukia?"

The Nekojin walked up to the police officer and smiled congenially at him, "I've been alright, Kaien-dono, and yourself?"

Kaien put a hand on her head, careful to avoid her ears, and ruffled her hair. He laughed at her consequent irritated expression and replied, "I'm great, and I just came by to reassure her," He thrust his thumb to point at his wife, "that I won't be dying on her tonight."

Rukia nodded politely and sat down comfortably in one of the chairs.

Miyako put her hands on her hips and frowned slightly at her husband. "It doesn't matter how many times you tell me, I'm still going to worry."

Kaien smiled and walked up to his wife, and taking her in his arms endearingly, kissed her forehead. "I know." He told her gently.

Rukia smiled at the two, and for a moment she allowed herself to wish she had been a part of a loving family, but she quickly squashed that hope to the back of her mind and locked it away.

Miyako, remembering there was a student in the room, broke the hug and blushed. "Would you like more aspirin, Rukia?" She asked kindly.

Rukia smiled affirmatively, stood to fill a paper cup with water from the sink and turning around to face the nurse, explained, "My headache isn't as bad as before, but it's still there."

Miyako nodded and grabbed the medication bottle out of the cupboard. She popped it open and handed Rukia two more pills, "That's all the aspirin you can have for today. If the pain persists, try taking a hot shower or have some valerian root tea."

Rukia quickly slugged down the pills with the cup of water, and smiled appreciatively at the nurse and her husband. She then picked up her backpack and after bowing courteously, headed for the door. "Thank you, Miyako-sensei. I hope you both have a good weekend."

As Rukia walked out of the office, Miyako's face was taken over by a frown. Kaien noticed this, and gently poked her in the head, "You okay?"

Miyako sighed and went back to her desk. "I saw Rukia looking at the back of her head in the girl's restroom this morning, and when I asked her about it she said that she fell out of a tree yesterday."

At his wife's response, Kaien frowned as well and watched Rukia through the window as she walked off campus. "Keep an eye on her, we both know what a good little liar she can be."

Miyako nodded, and Kaien sighed and hugged her again. "I have to go to the station now. I'll call you on the way home."

The nurse hugged him back and put her head on his chest.

"I love you." She whispered, and Kaien hugged her even tighter.

"I love you too."

* * *

As soon as she set foot outside, Rukia took in a deep, cleansing breath of fresh air. She hated being confined to small spaces for long periods of time; it tended to make her feel slightly claustrophobic. The sky was clear and blue, but the air was cold and crisp. Goosebumps appeared on her exposed arms and legs and she shivered as a cold breeze of wind swept over her.

"Time to go to the store." She muttered to herself.

As she walked down the street, she decided to take the scenic route to the small convenience store since it was really just three blocks of apartments away. However, unlike the apartments that faced the street, the apartments that faced the alleys had garden plots. And it was in the alley by the apartment on the second block that the small nekojin made friends with a stray cat.

As she approached the fence, she smiled at the sight of the Japanese bobtail lounging in the sun. The calico cat looked up as she walked up to it and rolled onto its back, demanding its stomach be rubbed. Rukia snorted as she put her backpack on the ground and sat next to the cat.

"How're you today, neko? Catch any mice?" She spoke softly as she rubbed the cats belly, her ears twitched with delight as a loud purr erupted from its chest. She felt all the tension disappear from her body and she sighed in relaxation. She sat with the cat for ten minutes, both creatures taking pleasure in each other's company.

"I have to go now, neko." The cat meowed in protest as her hand left its belly and she smiled sadly. "I know, but I'll come by next week alright?"

She stood and grabbed her backpack and started walking down the street. Tension filled her body again as she went back to thinking about what she could possibly make that would last for almost a week. She was so taken up in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the new store on the block. She did a double take and her eyes widened.

"The hundred yen store?" She slowly walked into the store and was met by an elderly couple behind the register.

The elderly man walked up to her and took her dainty hands, encasing them in his. "Welcome, young neko," He greeted convivially and handed her a shopping basket from a stack just nearby. "Please take this, you'll need it."

Rukia took the basket and slowly looked around astonishingly. "So…is everything here really only a hundred yen?"

The elderly man nodded, "Indeed it is, along with a small tax." He chuckled as Rukia's eyes lit up, and Rukia grinned brightly at him.

"You have just made my life a lot easier."

The elderly man smiled again and walked back behind the register to his wife. "I'm glad to have done so."

Rukia couldn't believe her luck. She had heard of these hundred yen stores in other parts of Japan, and even heard of the dollar stores in America. She never thought one of them would settle down in the small, quaint town of Karakura, but she wasn't complaining.

She walked down the isle that had food and instantly grabbed two three packs of instant miso soup, three packs of champon noodles and a pack of mushroom pasta sauce. She turned the corner and into the candy and snack isle. She nearly drooled at the sight of all the junk food, but instead closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"Alright control yourself; we're here for only one junk food item." She addressed herself calmly, trying her utmost not to be completely overwhelmed at the sight of such yummy goodies. She reached for a bag of milk candy, one of the most popular confections. However, she noticed a bag of cheese potato chips and couldn't help but toss them into the basket as well. Her tail quivered in excitement as she walked to the register where the elderly couple was waiting patiently. She set down her backpack and put the basket onto the counter. And as the elderly man scanned the items from the basket one by one, Rukia opened her backpack and grabbed the money out from it.

"Your total is one thousand and nine yen," The man told Rukia kindly as he finished totaling all the times.

Rukia gave him the money and smiled satisfyingly when she realized there'll be change leftover. The shop owner's wife bagged the items graciously while her husband gave Rukia her change. She took the leftover money and happily put it into her backpack.

"Thank you very much." She bowed politely and turning to exit the shop, picked up her backpack and the plastic bag. The elderly couple smiled and waved at her. As she stepped outside, Rukia couldn't help but feel like things were slightly looking up.

'Good. Now I can use the leftover money to buy a bag of rice at the store.' She mused to herself as she continued down the street, and merrily swung the bag of food about as she walked with a spring in her step. However, she was too distracted by the thought of a filling meal to notice the grinning figure in the small alley. A large, calloused hand grabbed her wrist with bruising force as she sauntered obliviously into its range, and yanked her into the alley. She opened her mouth to scream, but another large hand quickly covered her mouth, muffling her protests. Before she could make any movements to fight back, the figure moved his hand from her wrist and onto her neck, slamming her into the wall behind her and causing her to drop her bag of food.

She closed her eyes as stars clouded her vision, and when she opened them, she was face to face with Yammy Llargo. He was a giant of a man with a powerful build nearing seven feet tall, and the way he looked down at her as if she were a mere toy unnerved her. Her heart sped up pitilessly as she realized that his presence also signified the presence of _him._ Right on cue, from behind Yammy appeared Gin Ichimaru with his wide mocking smile, and Rukia felt her body shiver as he grinned ominously at her. Yammy removed his hand from her mouth as Rukia's worst nightmare began to speak.

"It's been a while, Rukia-chan, how have ya been?"

"Fine, until you showed your face." She sputtered venomously.

Unperturbed, Gin's grin widened and he reached out to pat her head. Rukia's neko ears slicked back at the unwanted contact and she growled out in warning. Gin smirked satisfactorily and stayed his hand on her head, utterly ignoring her squirming.

"Calm down, little kitty cat; I ain't gonna do nothin' to ya…yet." He removed his hand from her head and took a step back.

"I just came to offer ya a job, give ya a little spenin' money." He picked up the hundred yen store bag and held it in front of her. "Looks like ya need it."

Rukia leaned her head back and spat right in his face. She was slightly proud of herself and gloated inwardly as he frowned and wiped off the spit with a hand.

Yammy grabbed her tail and grinned in satisfaction as she gasped in pain. "Now that wasn't very nice." The giant of a man lowered his enormous body and whispered roguishly next to her ear.

Gin smiled at his lackey's sadistic reprimand and continued, "Here's the problem, little Rukia-chan. Kaito still owes me eighty thousand yen. And if he can't produce the money, well, ya know the deal." Rukia glared fearfully at both men, still wincing from the dwindling pain in her tail.

"Yeah, we got ourselves a customer that's got a bit of a nekojin fetish, and he'll pay a pretty penny to get his hands on you!" Yammy laughed maliciously and Rukia paled dreadfully at the thought of another "businessman" violating her.

"Now, go on home an' tell Kaito what I just told ya." Gin nodded at Yammy and the large man released the small nekojin from his unyielding hold. Rukia slumped to the ground in great relief and Gin tossed the bag of food at her feet.

"I have a feelin' I'll be seein' ya soon Rukia-chan." Gin gave her one last unnerving look before turning around and walking out of the alley with Yammy laughing raucously as he followed behind.

Rukia glared daggers at their backs and rubbed her sore wrist soothingly. She stood up weakly, grabbed her bag of food and continued walking down the street, any happiness and relief she had previously been feeling now completely gone.

'Why can't I just have one day where nothing goes wrong?' She asked herself bitterly as she unlocked the door to her house. She walked through the door and dropped her backpack on the floor. She then walked into the small kitchen and put away everything except for the milk candy and cheddar potato chips. She decided to stash those in her room because she knew Kaito would polish them off without mercy the moment he set eyes on them. Rukia put her snacks in her underwear drawer, and heaved out a sigh as she looked at the bottles of cleaning supplies in the bathroom.

"I guess I should get it over with." She muttered out tiredly, and didn't bother to change out of her uniform as she gathered any rags and paper towels she could find in the house. Room by room, she tackled any dirt and filth that stood in her way, and nearly two hours later she was rewarded with the sight and smell of a clean house.

She disposed of the used paper towels, threw the dirty rags in a laundry basket and put the left over cleaning supplies in a closet in the small hallway. The front door opened and she could hear Kaito's footsteps as he seemed to drag himself to his chair in front of the TV. She walked into the living room and stood next to his chair, but it took a good minute before he noticed her presence. And when he did he raised his eyebrows questionably at her.

"What happened to you?"

Rukia's eyes narrowed in confusion and he pointed to her neck and then her wrist.

"You've got bruises." He commented vapidly.

Rukia walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

'Shit.' There was a large bruise that almost went all the way around her neck, as well as one that covered her entire wrist. She glared at her reflection and walked into the kitchen.

"I ran into Yammy and Gin on the way home. There's a new hundred yen store by the apartments, so I went there for some shopping on my way back from school, and I'll be going to the store tomorrow to buy a bag of rice with the leftover money." Rukia placed a large pasta pot on the stove and filled it half way with water. She turned on the stove and placed the lid on the pot.

"What did Gin say?"

She could tell from the tone in his voice that he already knew the answer. "Same thing he said last time."

"Shit." He swore silently, but Rukia heard and hummed in agreement. They both knew that Kaito would never be able to pay all that he owed. Rukia stayed standing by the stove until she noticed bubbles forming at the bottom of the pot. She turned the stove off and lifted the pot off of it by the handles, taking the water with her as she left the room.

"I'm going to wash off." She stated as she walked into the bathroom. Closing the bathroom door behind her, she set the pot next to the bathtub, and grabbed a clean sponge out of a drawer. She then took off her dirty uniform and sat in the empty tub, using the sponge to clean her body thoroughly with the warm water. When she was sure her body was clean, she grabbed the pot and dumped it over her head.

She sat in the tub listlessly, her eyes a dull blue. Exhausted from the extreme stress put on her fragile mental state, she didn't have the strength or the desire to move from her current spot. Even her tail was limp in the water. She couldn't help but fear for her future.

"If I even have one." She mused to herself drolly.

* * *

"I'm home!" Ichigo yelled as he entered the house and closed the door behind him.

Yuzu poked her head out from the kitchen and waved a soup ladle at him, a big smile on her face, "Welcome home, Onii-chan!"

Ichigo muttered a quick 'thanks' to his little sister and set his backpack down by the stairs, taking a seat at the dining table. "Is goat face home yet?"

Yuzu shook her head in answer to his question and explained further, "He was called to the pediatric ward, and he said he wouldn't be home until after dinner."

Ichigo nodded and stretched in his seat, suddenly feeling the weariness of the eventful day take a toll on him.

Just then he heard Yuzu gasp out sharply.

"Onii-chan, what happened to your hand?" She dropped the ladle on the counter and was instantly by his side, the motherly side of her coming out.

Ichigo looked at the bandage and sighed as he noticed the spots of blood on it. "It's nothing Yuzu, don't worry about it." He said reassuringly in an attempt to dissuade his overly sensitive sister from making any further enquiries.

The attempt failed, of course, and the younger girl looked at him with a frown, concern strewn all over her face. "Are you sure?"

Ichigo nodded promisingly and hoped to change the subject with a question he knew she'd be glad to answer, "What's for dinner, by the way?"

Yuzu looked hesitant to ignore his injury, but finally dropped the issue and responded cheerfully to his question, "Curry rice. I'll call when it's ready." She ducked back into the kitchen and turned her attention to the food simmering on the stove.

Ichigo nodded and yelled as he ran up the stairs, "I'll be in my room." He shut the door once he was in his room and sat at his desk, taking a look at his bandaged hand. He carefully unwrapped the bandage and scowled when he noticed that the small puncture wounds hadn't even scabbed yet.

'They aren't even that deep.' He thought angrily as he walked into the bathroom. He grabbed a bottle of saline solution and betadine and set them on the sink. He knew how to clean bite wounds from animals; was it the same if a nekojin bit you? He started the cleaning process, and didn't bother putting on a bandage so the wounds could breathe.

"I still can't believe she bit me." He recollected with a humorless chuckle as he lay down on his bed. He tried closing his eyes, but every time he did, he saw her terrified eyes.

"Why do I even care?" He muttered again as he stared at his ceiling, trying to think of anything but _her_ and failing miserably to do so_._

* * *

There you go, chapter three. I have the outline for chapter four almost finished so I'll get started on that either tonight or tomorrow. I also want to encourage folks to pray or donate to the people affected by Hurricane Sandy, they are going through a horrific time and need all the help they can get.


	4. Heed The Warning

I am so grateful for all your reviews and follows, it really boosts my confidence! A big thanks to my beta KaizokuGotenks, without him my story would suck. I would also like to ask everyone to pray or think good thoughts for the families of the victims of the Connecticut elementary school shooting.

I hope you enjoy the fourth chapter of That Girl!

That Girl

The sun's rays streamed through the dirty window, covering the small body in the bed with its warmth. The figure's face scrunched as it came into contact with the light, and tired violet eyes slowly opened. Rukia closed her eyes and sighed; her tail quivered and her ears slicked back as she stretched her entire body. She moaned in satisfaction as she felt muscles pop and the kinks leave her body. The violet-eyed Noekojin threw the covers off her body, and after swinging her legs over the side of the bed slowly stood and tiredly walked to the window.

Rukia smiled at the sight of a clear blue sky. "Off to the park I go." She exclaimed with a smile as she began to shed herself of her night clothes and dress for a day at the park. She put on her dark blue jeans, some thick socks, and her van sneakers. The shoes weren't in the best condition, but they were her favorites. After she threw on a random t-shirt she put on her hoodie.

The hoodie had long sleeves that went past her wrists, and its neckline was tall enough that it looked more like a turtleneck. She chose this particular piece of clothing so she wouldn't have to worry about anyone noticing the bruises. She made sure to pick up the plastic bag that sat in the corner of her room, and after a slight adjustment of her jeans and her tail, she was ready to go.

She walked at a leisurely pace, her tail swinging in delight to and fro behind her as the park came into view. Rukia avoided the groups of children and parents at the playground that consisted of a collage of humans and Nekojin. Instead she opted for the quiet, secluded area under a willow tree. She sat against the trunk of the tree and set the plastic bag down. She reached into the bag and took out her most prized possessions: her sketchpad and colored markers. She started drawing and immediately, yesterday's events faded from her mind with each stroke of the pen.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, the Kurosaki family was making their way up one of the grassy hills. The hill gave them a panoramic view of the entire park and was the prime location for a picnic.

"This hill is so steep." Yuzu whined as she lugged the picnic basket up the hill.

Karin, who was ten feet ahead of her sister, turned around at the comment and raising an eyebrow, offered, "Let me carry the basket, Yuzu." She walked towards the struggling girl, intent on taking the basket from her, but Isshin raced towards Yuzu and snatched the basket from her outstretched hand before Karin could get to it.

"I won't let my precious daughters carry such a heavy basket up such a dangerously steep hill!" He exclaimed loudly and turning to his son behind him, yelled again, "Ichigo! Catch!"

He threw the delicate basket at the unprepared orange-haired teen, whose eyes widened as he saw the basket flying directly towards him. Ichigo threw his arms out in front of him and caught the basket carefully just before it hit the ground.

He sighed in relief then glared at his dad. "What the hell, old man!"

Isshin grinned goofily and gave Ichigo a thumbs up. "Good catch, my good for nothing son! Now if only you get a girl-"

Karin cut him off with an adroit kick to the chest that sent the elder Kurosaki rolling down the grassy hill. "Stupid dad; could have ruined the entire picnic." She growled.

Yuzu looked at the still figure of their father lying at the bottom of the hill with worry. "Wasn't that a little harsh, Karin?"

The dark-haired twin snorted and continued walking up the hill. "He'll be fine, let's get to the top before he gets back."

Yuzu nodded and continued walking up the hill after Karin, leaving Ichigo to carry the basket. The orange-haired teen sighed in what looked like frustration, but on the inside he was smiling with glee. As he reached the top of the hill, the scenery of the entire park stretched before him and he noticed a figure sitting under one of the willow trees. His eyes widened in surprise as he promptly recognized his Nekojin classmate.

"Onii-chan?"

He blinked and looked over at his younger sister, who was looking at him with concern. He set the picnic basket down and ruffled her hair. "Just enjoying the view, Yuzu."

"It is indeed a beautiful day for the eighth annual Kurosaki family picnic!" Isshin exclaimed loudly as he also reached the summit of the grassy hill, having snapped out of unconsciousness briskly.

Yuzu giggled in excitement and began to place the various dishes onto the picnic blanket. As everyone sat down, Ichigo turned his head to look at Rukia once again. She seemed to sense that he was staring at her, for her movements ceased suddenly and she stiffened. She slowly turned her head to look behind her, and their eyes met.

Her violet eyes widened, and then she frowned. Her frown quickly turned into a glare, as if she were daring him to come over and ruin her privacy. Now, Ichigo fancied himself a mature teenager, so the last thing he expected himself to do was stick his tongue out as if he were a five year old. Rukia puffed out her cheeks, stuck out her tongue and pulled up her eyelids. The two classmates continued to make ridiculous faces at each other, neither knowing they had a wide-eyed audience. It wasn't until Ichigo heard his dad noisily clear his throat that his facial expression was full of dread and horror.

'Dammit.' He mentally berated himself as he turned back to his family. Yuzu was looking at him with concern, while both his father and Karin looked at him with smirks on their faces.

"What are you looking at?" He asked with his usual scowl back in place.

Karin simply snorted and took a bite out of her sandwich.

Isshin sat up and looked down the hill; he grinned at the sight of the young female Nekojin. "Is that your girlfriend, my son?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but his voice didn't seem to want to cooperate. Just the idea of him being involved with Rukia was enough to cause his brain to temporarily short circuit.

Isshin, taking his son's silence as a confirmation, patted him proudly on the back. "Well done, Ichigo! Bring her up so we can meet her!" He didn't hesitate demanding for a second.

Ichigo shrugged his dad's hand off his shoulder, and replied as sternly as he could. "No way in hell, old man, and she isn't my girlfriend."

"No need to be embarrassed, my boy, now go to her!" Isshin yelled as he delivered a hard kick to Ichigo's chest, sending him down the hill in Rukia's direction.

Rukia looked on in shock as Ichigo's father, at least she assumed the man was his father, kicked him resolutely down the steep hill. She watched Ichigo's body roll down the hill and come to a stop five feet away from her. She ignored the urge to make sure he was okay, and instead she continued to draw as if nothing had happened.

Ichigo groaned and slowly sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for making sure." He said sarcastically as he dusted himself off beside his petite classmate.

Rukia grunted, trying her best to ignore him, but Ichigo would have none of that.

"Don't ignore me, midget neko." He smirked as Rukia stopped drawing and glared maliciously at him.

"Why do you insist on annoying me?"

Ichigo stood and walked up to the tree, leaning against the trunk. "Because it's fun, and you deserve it." He replied, unaffected by her not-so-subtle dislike of his presence.

Rukia set her sketchpad and pens on the ground and sharply retorted. "And what exactly did I do to deserve this?" She groaned in frustration when Ichigo immediately held out his still bandaged hand in answer.

"I am not going to argue about that again, as far as I'm concerned it never happened! Even though it was your fault." She quietly mumbled that last part, but Ichigo still heard it.

"I heard that." He stated plainly.

"Good for you." She picked up her sketchpad again and continued drawing, nonchalant as ever.

Ichigo loomed over her and pointing a finger over her shoulder at the drawings, questioned with a snicker, "What the hell are you drawing?"

Rukia sighed and her tail twitched in annoyance. "Are you blind, fool? They're rabbits." She replied as if it were the dumbest thing not to be able to decipher her doodling at first glance.

Ichigo blinked and leaned in closer, a look of jocular mockery still plastered on his face. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" She growled out at him. "And why don't you go back to your family already, you're disrupting the peace." She grumbled, gesturing up-hill to the other Kurosakis seated at their quaint picnic.

Ichigo snorted and looked back to the hill where his family sat. He frowned when he saw his dad wave at him enthusiastically. "Amazingly enough, I think I prefer your company to theirs at the moment."

"Well I don't prefer yours, so go away."

Ichigo was about to reply when something light flew into his head and then hit the ground. He looked down and frowned at the paper airplane. He picked it up and opened it.

_'Ichi-nii, goat face said that if you don't bring your girlfriend up here he's going to come down there'. –Karin_

"Of course he will." Ichigo sighed in surrender, more to himself than his nekojin classmate.

"What are you sighing about?"

"My family wants to meet you." He stuffed the crumbled piece of paper in his pocket and declared without embellishment.

Rukia stopped drawing and looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"Because my old man's crazy, and before you refuse let me say that you have no choice."

Rukia's eyes narrowed and her ears slicked back. "Excuse me?"

Ichigo put his hand up defensively, "Trust me, it'll be better if you just come with me and get it over with."

He watched as Rukia turned to look up the hill at his family. She noticed the look of civility and excitement on their faces and choosing to ignore all their quirks hitherto, hesitantly nodded and put her sketchpad and markers back in the plastic bag. She picked it up, stood to her feet, and followed Ichigo up the hill.

When they reached the top of the hill Ichigo sighed and sat on the picnic blanket. "Rukia, this is my dad, Isshin, and these are my sisters, Yuzu and Karin." He introduced them by gesturing at each of them as he mentioned their names.

Rukia waved nervously, and Yuzu and Karin simply smiled and waved back.

Isshin stood up, walked over to her, and enveloped her small hands in his large ones, said with a guffaw, "Welcome to the family, my third daughter! I will admit that for the longest time I was afraid my son was gay; it brings me great joy knowing he has a girlfriend as beautiful as you!"

Rukia slowly blinked, shocked beyond words at the words the elder Kurosaki just spoke. "Girl…friend?" She looked over incredulously at Ichigo who had his eyes narrowed ominously at his dad.

"I told you she's not my girlfriend, old man, she's just a classmate." He tried desperately to drive the point home again.

"You cannot fool me, my son, those faces you were making at each other were clearly those of love and affection!" Isshin concluded firmly, and Rukia's eyes widened at the knowledge that he saw them exchange the infantile faces.

Ichigo just groaned and put his face in his hands.

"Give it up, Ichi-nii, you know he won't change his mind." Karin said as she sympathetically pat her older brother's back.

Rukia, on the other hand, would not give up so easily. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mr. Kurosaki-"

"Please Rukia-chan, call me Papa!" Isshin interrupted raucously before she could finish.

The violet-eyed Nekojin could only blink in surprise at what the elder Kurosaki was asking. She ignored his unprecedented peculiarity and tried again, "Umm, your son and I are not involved in any way."

Isshin let go of Rukia's hands and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, causing her turtle neck to shift.

Isshin looked down and frowned at the sight of the large bruise on her neck, but he immediately covered it with a smile and acted as if he never saw it. "Please join us for lunch, my third daughter, you are too thin."

Rukia could have drooled at the sight of all the food that was laid out before her, and was torn between accepting the offer and politely declining. "I don't want to impose…"

"You're not imposing at all; Yuzu made enough food to feed an entire army." Karin stated exaggeratedly as she took a sip from her water bottle.

Isshin grabbed a paper plate and proceeded to pile a little bit of everything on it before placing it on the blanket in front of Rukia. "That's right, there is plenty for all; you must eat properly so you can safely carry my grandchildren!"

Rukia almost choked on a drink Yuzu just gave her as Ichigo jumped up and punched Isshin right in the nose. The elder Kurosaki fell flat on his back and his nose started to bleed.

"Dirty old man." Ichigo growled out as he repeatedly kicked his dad in the stomach.

Rukia looked on in shock as the orange-haired teen proceeded to cause bodily harm to his father. She looked at the two younger girls sitting across from her who were eating as if nothing were happening. "Are they usually like this? Isn't he gonna seriously injure him at this rate?"

"Don't sweat it, they're always like this. Just ignore them and eat." Karin told her, and Yuzu nodded in agreement.

"He really should know better by now." The shorthaired girl added.

Rukia nodded and slowly began to eat, her face lighting up as the deliciousness of the food set in. "Wow, this is fantastic."

Yuzu blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, a lot of these dishes are our mother's recipes." Yuzu explained, a mention of their mother bringing sadness to her face.

By now Ichigo had returned and sat on the blanket, his facial expression grim at the mention of their mother.

Rukia's ears went back and her chest constricted at their shared expressions of gloom. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. Umm, could you tell us more about yourself Rukia?" The younger twin asked, trying to get off the sad subject.

Rukia obliged, but didn't give the answer Yuzu was expecting.

"There's really nothing to tell." Ichigo snorted. "She's a violent midget neko, that's all you need to know."

"Shut up dandelion, I'm not violent."

"The hell you aren't, you bit me!"

Isshin sat up as he heard this new piece of information while Yuzu gasped and Karin laughed.

"Hahaha, that was you? Oh god that is priceless!" Karin chortled as she held her sides.

Isshin was instantly by Rukia's side. "What horrible things did my good for nothing son do to make you defend yourself in such a way?" He then hugged the poor nekojin to his chest and glared menacingly at Ichigo. "What did you do to my precious third daughter?"

"I didn't do any-"

"It was horrible, Papa!"

Ichigo's left eye twitched and his mouth stood agape at the sudden saccharine tone Rukia melodramatically talked in.

"That brute grabbed my poor sensitive ear." Rukia sniffed and dabbed a napkin at the nonexistent tears forming in her eyes.

"That is no way to treat a lady, my delinquent son!" Isshin exclaimed as he launched himself at Ichigo and tackled him to the ground.

Rukia chuckled as she watched father and son wrestle on the grassy hill, she couldn't recall the last time she actually enjoyed being with a group of people.

"What the hell old man!"

"You let your guard down, my boy!"

Rukia watched as Isshin and Ichigo walked back up the hill, both covered in dirt and bleeding lightly in some places.

"Don't worry, Rukia-chan, I taught my son a lesson." Isshin said with a wide smile as he approached her.

The violet-eyed nekojin giggled and took another bite of food. As the Kurosaki family struck up a conversation with each other, Rukia allowed herself to enjoy their company and a smile blossomed on her face. But the smile quickly withered when she noticed someone standing behind a tree by the pond. Her heart stopped and she turned as white as a sheet as Ichimaru Gin waved at her with the usual slithery grin firm in place on his face.

Ichigo noticed her paler-than-usual skin tone and asked with concern, "You alright, midget?"

Rukia's eyes snapped to him for a second then instantly went back to Gin. She shivered as the silver-haired man pointed to the Kurosaki family then waved his index finger back and forth, as if scolding her.

She quickly stood to her feet and bowed. "Thank you for the meal, I'm afraid I have to be on my way now." She turned to leave, but Ichigo was too concerned by her nervous behavior to let her leave without an explanation.

He stood up and jogged down the hill after her. "Oiy, Rukia!"

When she didn't turn around, he ran faster. He easily caught up with her and grabbing her wrist, lightly pulled her back to him. The sleeve of Rukia's hoodie slightly pulled back, giving Ichigo a peak at her purple bruise. His face hardened, and before Rukia could pull down the sleeve Ichigo pulled it up all the way to her elbow. His amber eyes widened then narrowed.

"Who did this to you?"

Rukia struggled to get out of his grip. "Let go Ichigo, it's none of your business."

His grip on her wrist tightened and she winced slightly at the sting, "Of course it's my business!"

Rukia stopped struggling and opted for glaring at him, her ears slicked back and her black tail slightly puffed. "Let me go."

"Not until you tell me who did this."

"Ichigo!"

The orange-haired teen looked behind him at his father, who stood half way down the hill. Isshin shook his head, and gestured for him to come back. Ichigo swore and hesitantly let go of Rukia's wrist. She gave him one last glare before running off.

Isshin walked down the rest of the hill and came to a stop next to Ichigo. "What was that about?"

"She had a bruise…it covered almost her entire forearm."

Isshin sighed. "I see. She had one around her neck as well."

"Did you see how scared she looked before she ran off?" Ichigo asked his father in a soft voice.

"I didn't."

"She looked like she saw a ghost."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's go back to the girls, we'll talk about this more back at home." Isshin turned and began walking back up the hill. Ichigo took one last look in the direction Rukia ran off in before doing the same.

* * *

Her lungs burned as she ran as fast as she could and tears blurred her vision.

'That's right. I can't get close to anybody, I can't bring them into this.' The Kurosakis' smiling faces appeared in her mind, but she shook her head to rid herself of the image.

'They don't deserve that.' She ignored the cries of anyone she bumped into and the blares of the car horns as she ran across the street.

'No matter what happens, I'll have to go through this alone.'

* * *

I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter. Just a heads up I will be very busy for the next two weeks with the holidays and all, so the next chapter may not be out until the middle or end of January. Be sure to review and I hope you guys all have a happy holiday!


	5. Sacrifice Of My Life

Sorry this took so long folks, a lot of personal problems came up and I had to take care of them. Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favorited and followed. I can't believe I have almost 50 reviews from just four chapters!

**WARNING:** This chapter contains rape, It's not very graphic but I thought a fair warning would be nice.

**That** **Girl**

The tension was thick in the air as the Kurosaki family walked through the front door of their modern but quaint house. Nobody had spoken a word en route, and everyone seemed to be in a world of their own. Consequently Ichigo's mind had been racing during the walk home, and he had resisted the urge to strike up a conversation with his dad concerning the events that took place at the expiration of the picnic. He gently set the bag that contained Rukia's sketchpad and pencils on a table by the front door and frowned at it.

"Ichigo."

The sudden voice snapped the orange-haired teen out of his thoughts, and he looked straight at his dad whose features were shrouded in an unreadable look.

"Let's go to the clinic."

The elder Kurosaki said tersely and motioned towards the direction of the clinic. Ichigo nodded and followed him into the empty clinic and closed the door firmly behind him. Neither wanted the twins to hear their conversation. The two Kurosaki men sat in two chairs located in the corner of the room and made themselves comfortable.

"How well do you know Rukia?" Isshin went straight to the point and asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Ichigo sputtered in disbelief at his father's lack of tact. "How the hell can you think about me dating at a time like this?" He had totally misinterpreted Isshin's question.

Isshin noticed the misunderstanding, but decided to follow through, knowing exactly how to deal with his hot-headed son. He guffawed and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders. "Come on now my boy, she's a damsel in distress and you need to be her knight in shining armor!"

Ichigo shoved his dad's arm off of him and scowled. "She's not my girlfriend old man, we're not even friends. Not that I would _want_ to be with a crazy midget neko like her." He babbled on, having not noticed his dad never said anything of the sort.

Isshin chuckled at his son's pseudo-protest and continued on his plan B trajectory. "Well you sure seemed to enjoy her company at the park today." He recollected the events from a few hours ago.

Ichigo simply snorted and leaning back into the comfy chair, brushed his father aside. "Must have been your imagination; you're going senile."

The elder Kurosaki smiled and resumed a relaxed position in his chair but questioned with a firm voice. "So, you don't know anything about her? Does she have any friends?"

Ichigo noticed the solid tone in his father's probe and answered with a nod. "She usually sits with someone at lunch, don't know his name though."

Isshin put his chin in his hand and made a humming noise. "Well I suppose the only thing you can do is wait until Monday and ask her friend."

"Whatever." Ichigo replied nonchalantly, but they had arrived at a father/son congruence which would have been the outcome of a long and winded conversation in normal families.

After a pregnant pause though, Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows in frustration and astonishment and inquired, "Wait. That's it?" He thought the old goat was going to use the opportunity to delve unnecessarily into his non-existent love life.

Isshin nodded and his eyes shined mischievously, smiling like a prankster. "For now yes, but never fear! After you save her from whatever perils she's experienced she will surely reward you with her love!"

Ichigo growled and planted his foot on his father's chest sending him over the back of his chair and onto the floor. He then proceeded to storm out of the clinic, while Isshin sat up from his spot on the floor.

"Good kick, my son!"

He made a thumbs-up as he watched Ichigo go up the stairs and smiled before rising up, dusting himself off, and taking out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello Miyako, this is Isshin Kurosaki. Is Kaien home?" He asked in a firm yet polite tone immediately the other party picked up.

* * *

Rukia paced nervously back and forth in her room, trying to work things out in her head. She was disappointed in herself for having been so foolish. For letting herself get close to anybody. Her ears were back and her tail swung back and forth, showing her discontent for the situation.

"I could have walked away." She murmured to herself in retrospect. She needed to think of a way to fix the situation. She had already decided to distance herself from Ichigo, but she knew of course that he would confront her the moment he saw her at school.

She sat on her bed with a sigh and put her face in her hands. Another thing she was upset about was that she left her sketchpad and pencils at the park. Rukia took her face out of her hands and looked at the clock. She rarely took naps, but she was emotionally exhausted and decided a nap wasn't a bad idea. Not even bothering to take her shoes off, she lay down on top of the covers and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Hello Isshin, what can I do for you?" Kaien asked in a cheerful voice over the phone when he took the receiver from his wife.

"Hello Kaien, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?" Isshin asked straightforwardly, ignoring any desire for chit chats.

"Of course, what do you need?" Kaien replied with a query, guessing faintly in his mind that this was going to be something serious and unusual.

"It's about one of Ichigo's classmates. We saw her at the park today and noticed she had some…bruises." Isshin sighed and supplied as a flash of the look on Rukia's face as she sped panic-stricken out of the park went through his mind.

"What's the student's name?" The sleuth in Kaien distinguished immediately that Isshin wasn't referring to your usual trip-and-fall bruise, and one name automatically came to mind—

"Rukia.

Isshin replied and took a brief pause before continuing. "She's a Nekojin. Black hair, violet eyes. I don't know her last name though."

Unperturbed by the revelation, a bitter smile formed on Kaien's face at the thought that some of Rukia's bruises could not be covered after all. After sighing in relief, determination brimmed in his eyes as he went on to assure his old time friend.

"No worries, I know exactly who you're talking about. I'll pay her a visit tomorrow."

"You do?" Isshin asked incredulously, but resisted the urge to ask "how" and instead after a meditative pause simply added, "Thank you Kaien, Ichigo's worried about her." He had seen weirder coincidences in his day.

Kaien's ears perked up at the unexpected piece of information.

Running a hand through his raven locks, Isshin chuckled as he continued, revealing the words he knew his son would rather die at this point than admit. "I think he might like her."

Kaien couldn't hold down the laughter that erupted from the depths of his belly. "Really now? About time the punk started getting interested in girls, I'd say. With that perpetual scowl on his face it was always obvious he'd be a late bloomer."

Isshin could hear the sound of a pen writing against paper and being grateful for that, a hopeful smile bloomed on his features. 'It's not too late for my idiot son after all.' 'And Rukia, too.' His mind wandered—

"I'll keep you posted on the situation, alright?"

His old friend's voice knocked him back to the present and he swiftly replied, "Alright, I'll talk to you later then." Isshin hung up and tucked the phone back into his pants pocket and sighed.

It was an unfortunate situation, but he was lucky enough to personally know an officer of the law. His comforted mind instantly took him on a trip down memory lane, and he blessed the day he met the gracious cop and his even more so wife. Four years ago, Kaien Shiba pounded on the door to the clinic, a very pregnant Miyako in his arms.

It turned out the two had been on their way home from sating one of Miyako's cravings when the contractions began. The infant was three weeks early, but Isshin was able to successfully deliver the baby girl. And even though they were low on money, Isshin let Miyako stay for as long as she needed in order to recover. Needless to say the couple was grateful beyond words. Unfortunately the baby was born with a severely defective immune system, and passed away just one week later. Isshin could still remember how devastated they were as he helped them through their tough time.

After they had moved on and things normalized, Isshin called upon Miyako to look after Ichigo and the twins whenever he was away for too long a time. And while Miyako could not have another child, she took joy in looking after the adorable twins and a stoic Ichigo, and they made sure to stay in touch throughout the years. Isshin felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he recollected the despondent event, but the medicinal tides of time washed the ill emotions back into the past, and the gloom morphed into a smile of nostalgia on his face.

'However mean your life is, meet it and live it.' He thought pleasantly and made his way back into the living room.

* * *

The green glow of the numbers on the alarm clock lit up Rukia's face, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut in protection from its shimmer, trying to sleep for just a little longer. She groaned as the realization that she would not be going back to sleep hit her, and she slowly blinked her starchy eyes open.

The clock read four in the morning, causing her to sigh and stare blankly at it as she lay on the bed. Her Nekojin ears twitched back toward her window as they picked up the sound of rain. She listened to the relaxing noise of the rain, trying to let it relax her troubled mind.

*Knock Knock Knock *

Her ears perked up at the noise of someone knocking on the front door.

'Who the hell is here at four in the morning?' She mumbled groggily to no one in particular and her feline ears unmistakably picked up the noise of Kaito's footsteps as he walked to the front door and opened it. She could hear them talking, but their voices were so low that even her sensitive auditory talents couldn't decipher what they were saying. The front door closed, and her heartbeat sped up as the footsteps came purposefully towards her room. She closed her eyes immediately, feigning sleep, like a child who was about to be caught by a parent for staying up late on a school night.

The old handle of her door squeaked open and one set of footsteps trudged to the side of her bed. Next moment she felt a hand roughly shake her shoulder.

"Wake up."

Hesitantly, she opened her violet eyes and before her stood Kaito and next to him a figure she didn't recognize hung back in the hallway. Rukia slowly sat up, her stomach clenching in nervousness. She winced as Kaito grabbed her arm and pulled her onto her feet.

"We need to have a talk with him." Kaito gestured to the man in the hallway and swiftly added, "He has a proposition for me." Keeping his grip on her arm, he dragged her into the hallway.

"Let's go to the living room." He said to the stranger while motioning for him to follow. The strange man whom Rukia accurately pegged as being of few words simply nodded.

As they walked into the hallway and into the light, Rukia could make out the man's features. The man had wavy brown hair that ended at the base of his neck and a faded goatee. He had blue gray eyes, and an indifferent expression. Kaito shoved Rukia onto the couch and took a seat next to her, while the man sat on the recliner and rotated it to face them.

He looked Rukia straight in the eyes, making her shift and squirm uncomfortably. "As I told Mr. Shinobu my name is Starrk; I work for Ichimaru Gin."

The chill associated with _the_ name froze Rukia in her seat and to her bones, her eyes widened and her body shuddered in instinctive response.

Starrk's gaze then rested on Kaito as he explained further the purpose of his nocturnal visit. "We have a client who is willing to pay us a large sum of money, half of what you owe us, in order to have her for a day to do what he pleases."

Kaito hummed and nodded as if Starrk had just offered a transaction on some game tickets, and Rukia was horrified beyond compare. She knew what the client would want and she felt a wave of nausea wash over her.

"Alright." Kaito intoned the affirmation written all over his face, and Rukia glared at him in despicability.

"I won't." She resolved firmly, but Kaito glared right back at her and spat.

"You don't have a choice!"

"The hell I don't!"

Starrk watched the two argue with a bored expression and spoke out as if intending the words for both of them. "You actually don't have a choice."

Rukia growled and turned to the brown-haired man who had boorishly butted in their verbal spar and glowered at him. He didn't even flinch from her deadliest glare. 'How rude of him!' She thought. Shouldn't they be given like a private moment to iron out their yays and nays?

Instead in the next moment, he took out photographs and handed them to Rukia. Her heart skipped a beat. They were pictures of the Kurosaki family! Pictures of the twins walking to school. Of Ichigo and his dad in the living room. Starrk took out a couple more pictures and Rukia felt like crying. Someone had been _in_ Hanataro's house, and had taken pictures of him sleeping.

"Do you still refuse?" This time the grandiloquent lilt in Starrk's voice was unambiguous.

Rukia clenched her teeth and then slumped back into the couch in utter surrender.

"No." She whispered somberly and Starrk nodded in approval.

"There's a car out front." The nocturnal visitor said as he stood and strode to the front door.

Rukia stood and followed with a defeated look on her face.

"Will you be bringing her back?" Kaito asked as he moved to the recliner and relaxed.

"I do not know, but I will have someone contact you when the client is done with her." Starrk replied as he jerked open the front door and mildly shoved Rukia outside.

He walked behind Rukia as they made their way to the car and opened the door for her. Definitely the only kindness she was going to receive that day. That's what the Nekojin thought as she sighed and climbing into the car, squeezed herself into the corner as much as she could, resigning to her bleak fate. The man named Starrk climbed into the back with her.

The driver, whose face she could not see because of the separator between the front and back of the car, started the car without a moment to spare and floored the gas pedal without hesitation.

As the car started moving, Starrk produced a needle out of a bag on the floor and Rukia's ears went back and her tail wrapped around her waist on instinct. Oh how she wished it was morphine for her broken soul. But reality was such a bitch and her reality for tonight, Mr. Starrk, pointed the instrument towards her, looked straight at her and sighed.

"Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be, I'm much too tired to deal with you struggling."

She hadn't even thought once about struggling. There was nowhere for her to go, and she had already given up the moment those pictures met her eyes. It was ironic how pictures containing such simple and happy scenes could make her feel turbulent and downright forlorn. Her right arm went limp as Starrk grasped it without compassion, and she winced when she felt the sting of the needle. Within seconds, she succumbed to the sedative and her consciousness was snuffed out like the flame of a candle.

* * *

Kaien Shiba got out of his squad car and gazed resolutely at the small trashy-looking house he parked in front of. He confidently strode up to the front door and knocked. When Kaito opened the door, Kaien frowned at his disheveled appearance and the beer can in his hand. He recoiled inwardly and held his breath momentarily as Kaito's inebriated exhalation breezed him over.

His expression remained passive as he addressed the meddlesome cop. "If you're here to see Rukia, you just missed her."

Kaien raised an eyebrow in query. "And where did she go?"

Kaito shrugged in nonchalance and took a huge swig of beer. "Hell if I know. Probably headed off to the park. What do you need her for?"

The police officer narrowed his eyes in unbelief at Rukia's guardian's question, and reminded him anyway. "I was just checking in on her. I believe that I told you I would occasionally drop by when you took her in."

Kaito simply grunted and when only two drops dribbled onto his tongue after he frantically shook it up and down in front of his open mouth, tossed the now empty beer can over his shoulder into the living room. "You did," He admitted in mock remembrance and feigned, "I thought she was in trouble or somethin'."

"I also got a call from the parent of a concerned fellow student, who said he had noticed she had some large bruises on her. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Kaien frowned and shot the question like a .22-caliber gun at Kaito who continued to look disinterested as he leaned against the doorframe.

"She mentioned that some students were hassling her."

The burly man replied curtly and Kaien's eyes narrowed once again. He was searching Kaito's face with every bit of his detective skills for any sign of a lie or misrepresentation in his mannerisms.

"I see." Since he wasn't there "officially" he decided to drop the probe for now and reaching into his pocket, pulled out a card.

"Call me at this number as soon as she comes back. If I don't hear from you by tonight I'll be stopping by again." He said with the airs of the law he enforced and handed over the card.

Kaito took the card and sighed in relief that the bothersome snoop had called it quits. "I wouldn't worry about her too much, officer. She's a free spirit and doesn't like being penned up in one spot for too long. Wherever she is, she's fine."

What a lie that was.

* * *

Rukia softly groaned as she awoke from her forced sleep. The sedative still lingered in her system, making her too groggy to open her eyes. She shivered from the cold that bit at her skin, and made a soft whining noise as she unsuccessfully tried to open her eyes. Her limp ears twitched as they picked up the faint noise of people talking, but her mind was so foggy it sounded like they were miles away. A hand suddenly came to rest on the top of her head before moving to one of her ears. The hand rubbed her ear between its thumb and forefinger and Rukia instinctively flinched growled lowly in her throat. She winced as the person laughed loudly and tugged sharply on her ear before letting go.

Her senses started to slowly come back, and she fluttered her eyelids open halfway. Her vision was still a little blurry, but she could faintly make out two figures standing a couple of feet away from her. She shifted slightly and felt the cool bed sheets against her skin. Her heart sped up a little bit from the realization that her clothing had been removed, and she closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. As her mind cleared and she became more aware, she heard footsteps approaching.

"Wakey wakey, little Rukia-chan."

Her eyes snapped open and she felt as if her skin was crawling. Ichimaru Gin grinned down at her like a fox would look at a trapped rabbit.

"Took ya long enough to wake up. I was beginning to worry." Gin said sarcastically and moved his perpetually squinted eyes towards Rukia.

She tried to avert her eyes to the wall the bed was against, but instead she found herself examining the man standing next to Gin. His orange-red hair was messy and jaw-length on the right side, but clean and cut short on the left. Gin noticed where Rukia was looking and grinned even wider if that were possible. Just like the disreputable Grinch who stole Christmas.

"This is Mabashi, he'll be keeping ya company for most of the day."

Mabashi grinned fiendishly as well as Gin introduced him simply but grandly like the maestro conductor of an orchestra.

Rukia stiffened at the implication and loudly gulped down saliva. While wriggling she felt the rope around her wrists and ankles for the first time since she awoke.

"Hello kitty cat, we're gonna have a lot of _fun._" The Mabashi fellow chuckled and ran a finger down her stomach and stopped at her abdomen.

Rukia clenched her jaw in revulsion and anger, resisting the urge to bite the wandering hand.

Gin handed Mabashi a card as he made to exit the room. "Call when you're done with her."

"Will do."

Mabashi said as he hurriedly shoved the card into his jeans pocket. He watched Gin until he was out the door, then he turned to Rukia and the corners of his lips upturned in a foreboding smirk.

"It's been a while since I've had some fun with a Nekojin."

He roughly turned her over onto her stomach and grabbed her tail, making her stiffen in unease. Mabashi lowered his head to Rukia's ear and whispered.

"Just so you know, I like to play rough."

Next moment he bit her shoulder hard enough to make her bleed. Rukia gasped at the sharp pain and pinched her eyes tightly shut.

"You taste delicious."

He moaned as he licked up the blood on her shoulder like a famished kitten. Rukia's face flushed red in shame and ignominy as Mabashi let go of her tail and squeezed her rear end while his other hand ran along her side.

"You're pretty thin, let's hope you can keep up. I did pay for a whole day after all."

He chuckled, but growled in anger as Rukia passively lay on the bed. He grabbed her right ear and tugged on it so hard Rukia fell off the side of the bed with a yelp. Mabashi let go of her ear and used his foot to roll her onto her back and rested his foot on her stomach.

"You're being too quiet."

Rukia's eyes narrowed in horror as he reached into his boot and pulled out a small switchblade knife.

"I can fix that though, unless you'd like to cooperate."

At her wits' end, Rukia drew her head back then leaned forward as she spat on his face. She nearly gagged in disgust when Mabashi grinned like an animal and licked the saliva off his cheek.

"Good, this way's more fun."

He lowered the blade to the side of her neck and applied slight pressure as he dragged it down to between her humble breasts, and stopped at her belly button. Rukia glared at him in defiance, refusing to make a sound. Mabashi laughed and pointed the blade at her hip.

"Nothing eh? How about this?"

He plunged the blade into her hip and laughed cruelly as Rukia's eyes widened in repulsion and as she bit her lip painfully to stifle a bloodcurdling scream, her eyes watered slightly as her fangs ripped through her lip making blood drip onto the floor.

"You're a stubborn one." He withdrew the blade from her hip, and brought it up to his mouth.

'He's crazy.' 'He's crazy.' Rukia thought without pause as the sick freak licked her blood off the blade.

"I know how sensitive a Nekojin's ears are. Let's see if you can keep quiet while I mar that pretty ear of yours."

Her eyes widened and her body started to shake uncontrollably. Her delicate feline senses dreaded the oncoming viciousness as Mabashi took in her fearful state and chuckled as he grabbed her right ear.

"Looks like someone got to this ear first, no matter." He grabbed her left ear and brought the blade down to it.

'No no no no no no.' Rukia repeated in her head as she tried to will her body to move, but she was frozen in fear and paralyzed in revulsion. She felt the cold steel of the blade against her ear for a second before she felt the searing pain. This time Rukia screamed horridly, and as Mabashi continued to slide the knife horizontally through her ear, Rukia squeaked out in a small voice as tears flowed down her face without stopping.

"Please." She whispered and begged, and Mabashi lowered his head next to hers.

"What was that?" He asked teasingly before sliding the knife halfway through her ear.

Rukia cried out again in pain and hopelessness. "Please! Stop!" She begged continuously, but he just chuckled and finally took the knife away from her ear.

"Only because you asked so nicely."

He ruffled her hair, and Rukia's eyes watered as her torn ear was jostled. Her vision was filled with white spots and she felt lightheaded as she started to succumb to the blood loss and pain. Unaware of what was going on, she did not fight back as Mabashi turned her onto her stomach, dumped her onto the bed, and positioned himself behind her.

"You still awake there?" He asked and squeezed the hip that he had stabbed, causing her to twitch and gasp in pain. Mabashi chuckled at her response.

"Just making sure. Wouldn't be too much fun to fuck ya if you were asleep." Without any kind of warning, Mabashi thrust into Rukia's tiny little body. Rukia clenched her hands and tears streamed out of her eyes as she choked back a scream. Mabashi moaned loudly and gripped the little Neko's sides so hard it felt like her ribs would crack.

"Ooooh man, you're so tight!"

He exclaimed excitedly in the throes of the one-sided passion, and slowly backed out, then slammed back in a couple of times. He quickly picked up the pace, grunting and digging his nails into Rukia's side. Shortly after he started he was finished, and Rukia despaired as she felt him finish inside her. Mabashi laughed and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Sorry about that, it's been a while since I've fucked someone as tight as you." He said in mock apology as he lit a cigarette.

"Just give me a couple minutes and we can get right back to it." Mabashi drew in a deep of smoke and exhaled.

"I gotta tell ya you're a breath of fresh air. Not like those whores downtown. Most businesses won't even let ya bruise their girls." He muttered absentmindedly as he shoved his index finger into the wound in her hip. More tears streamed out of Rukia's eyes and she wished with everything that she were out of consciousness.

"That's no fun at all." Mabashi flicked the butt of the cigarette away.

"Alright, round two." He picked up and unfolded his knife from the pile of clothing on the floor. Just as Rukia was about to go into blissful unconsciousness, she was turned over onto her back again and was faced with Mabashi's smirking face.

"I want to see your face this time." He sank into her again and brought the knife to her cheek, giving it a good sized open wound. He licked the blood dripping from her cheek, and Rukia could feel him harden inside her.

'I can't believe this is happening.' Was Rukia's last thought as her eyes went blank and her mind shut down.

* * *

"Just throw her out here; we have too much to do tonight." A voice said with frustration.

"Hang on dammit, we need to wait for this car to pass." Another voice cautioned.

The sound of a car engine came and went as it passed, and Rukia could feel herself being picked up. Her body didn't even have the energy to shiver as she felt herself being carried outside in the freezing cold. The arms suddenly let go, and her body fell onto the cold cement.

A car drove away, and as her mind became clearer Rukia opened her eyes a little.

'It's night.' She confirmed as her eyes opened to darkness. In the distance, she could see a streetlight. She looked to her left, a dumpster, and to her right was a chain link fence.

'An alley.' She thought and closed her eyes as she could feel her strength leaving her again. She lay there for what seemed to her like hours, but in reality it was just one. Just as the cold started to lull her tired body to sleep, she heard footsteps. They stopped right next to her, and she felt a hand gently shake her. She whimpered softly and a voice whispered comfortingly,

"It's alright."

The strangers kind voice relaxed her some, and she finally let herself go back to sleep.

* * *

I hope that disturbing scene wasn't too horrible for you guys, rest assured this is the only rape scene in the story, and this is where Ichigo starts to gain Rukia's trust and melt that ice around her heart. Many thanks to my awesome beta KaizokuGotenks, he said I made him cry with all the Rukia torture _ Hopefully the next chapter will come out sooner, but I'm in the middle of moving and my mother took a fall earlier today. I will try my hardest!


End file.
